Microcontroller having a computing unit and a logic circuit, and method for carrying out computations by a microcontroller for a regulation or a control in a vehicle

Abstract

A microcontroller having a computing unit and a logic circuit. The microcontroller carries out computations for a regulation or control in a vehicle. The computing unit is connected to the logic circuit, and the logic circuit has an arrangement for computing an exponential function and is configurable.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A microcontroller adapted to carry out computations for regulation or control of a vehicle, the microcontroller comprising:
 a computing unit that includes a processor; and 
 a configurable logic circuit that is connected to the computing unit, includes a hardware arrangement that is hard-wired to compute an exponential function, and is configured to provide a result of the computation to the computing unit, wherein the processor of the computing unit executes software to perform the computations for the regulation and control based on the result from the logic circuit. 
 
     
     
       2. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit is configurable with regard to configurable parameters of the exponential function. 
     
     
       3. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit is configurable with regard to a number of computations of exponential functions. 
     
     
       4. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit includes an arrangement to sum results of multiple computed exponential functions. 
     
     
       5. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit is configurable with regard to a type of computation of the exponential function. 
     
     
       6. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 1 , wherein for configuration, the logic circuit accesses configuration data in a configuration data memory. 
     
     
       7. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the microcontroller includes an arrangement to generate the configuration data for the logic circuit and for writing the configuration data in the configuration data memory as a function of computations to be performed. 
     
     
       8. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the microcontroller includes an arrangement to write the configuration data in the configuration data memory via direct memory access. 
     
     
       9. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the configuration data are stored in a local memory which is connected to the logic circuit. 
     
     
       10. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the configuration data are stored in a global memory which the logic circuit is able to access via direct memory access. 
     
     
       11. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to compute, during operation of the vehicle, at least one output variable for controlling functions of the vehicle based on at least one input variable which is ascertained during operation, and to carry out the computation of the output variable using a Bayesian regression of training values which are ascertained for the output variable and the input variable before operation, and the logic circuit computes computing steps of the Bayesian regression which include exponential functions. 
     
     
       12. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the configurable logic circuit is configurable on a hardware level based on configuration data; and 
 during a processing procedure by the computing unit, the microcontroller is adapted for control to be given to the configurable logic circuit for performance of the exponential function to generate the result. 
 
     
     
       13. The microcontroller as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the configuration data dictates which parameters to use for the exponential function. 
     
     
       14. A method for carrying out computations by a microcontroller for regulation or control in a vehicle, the microcontroller including a computing unit and a logic circuit, the method comprising:
 configuring the logic circuit by the computing unit; 
 computing, by the logic circuit, exponential functions by executing a hardwired program of the logic circuit; 
 providing, by the logic circuit and to the computing unit, a result of the exponential functions; and 
 executing, by a processor of the computing unit, software to perform the computations for regulation and control based on the result. 
 
     
     
       15. The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein at least one output variable for controlling functions of the vehicle is computed during operation of the vehicle on the basis of at least one input variable which is ascertained during operation, the computation of the output variable is performed using a Bayesian regression using training values which are ascertained for the output variable and the input variable before operation, and computing steps of the Bayesian regression, which include exponential functions, are computed by the logic circuit. 
     
     
       16. The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein:
 the configuration of the logic circuit is on a hardware level using configuration data; and 
 the computing of the exponential function by the logic circuit is in accordance with the configuration. 
 
     
     
       17. The method as recited in  claim 14 , further comprising:
 summing, by the logic circuit, results of multiple computed exponential functions.